How to Stop the Fastest Thing Alive
by Emmylee-Penguin
Summary: Eggman's attempts to capture the blue blur are numerous. But this time, he goes back to the basics, and manages to bring Sonic down by breaking not only his spirit, but his ankle. No parings, just action. A quick read.
1. Chapter 1

How do you stop the fastest thing alive?

You keep it from running.

It wasn't uncommon for Sonic the Hedgehog to run for hours on end. He had his favorite routes and paths to take depending on the time of day or the way he felt. When Eggman's activity was low, Sonic took his chance to run without interruption. It was an opportunity to let his mind roam free as he got high from the pure air that filled his nostrils at high speeds. On days like this, he was completely at peace.

The forest was one of his most favored trails. He loved the rush of weaving and dodging through the trees and leaping over fallen branches. The canopy-like tree-tops added more risk, allowing only spots of light to pass through them, leaving most of the area dark and suspicious. Today was no exception; the blue blur raced through at record speeds. But something put the hedgehog on edge. Individual quills stood on the back of his head when a chill was sent up his spine. Where were all the animals: the deer, the squirrels, the birds that greeted him with songs and scoffed when the patter of his feet scared them into the air? His beautiful pathway was now an eerie wasteland of tall brown trunks.

Suddenly, Sonic did something he had never done before: he tripped.

Something long and thin wrapped around Sonic's ankle and pulled his foot out from underneath him. He was going at such speeds that the resistance sent off a sickening snap, and he fell into the muddy ground with a gasp. For several seconds, black was all he saw, and a faint ring was all he heard. His lungs pleaded for air to reenter, and when vision resumed, oxygen was sucked in through clenched teeth to sooth the burning need. His breath left quickly, and returned even quicker. Pain crawled slowly up his leg, spine, and into his throat where it was released in a sharp cry. The ring in his ears was replaced with the sound of his heart pounding.

Sonic pressed his palms into the dirt and pushed himself up slowly, turning onto his side to look at his ankle. He had seen a lot of devastation in his life, and rarely cried, but he couldn't stop the welling of tears in his eyes. A cable was wound tightly around his leg, and he didn't have to move it to know what the damage was. His ankle was broken. He couldn't run.

"O-ho-ho-ho-ho!" The familiar chuckle bounced off the trees. Sonic frantically looked around, a glare forming that wiped away the tears and replaced them with pure anger. "Heh-heh-heh!"

Sonic sat up and reached for the cable, pulling it in every direction as an attempt to free himself. The high-pitched, scratchy laughs were closing in, and he was a sitting duck. If and when he got himself free, he knew he wouldn't be able to get up. He would have to get help, something he didn't enjoy doing as he saw himself being independent. His white gloved finger pushed the small green button on the transmitter that sat like a watch on his wrist. Tails had made it for him some time ago for emergencies such as this.

"Sonic?" Tails's adorable pubescent voice played over the small speaker. Since his friend never called for any reason, Tails sounded a bit concerned. Eggman showed up before Sonic could answer.

"Oh-ho-ho! This is unlike you, Sonic." The rotund villain leaned on the side of his Egg Mobile, tilting it slightly forwards. "I don't think I've ever seen you so vulnerable before! Why don't you just get up and run off? Surely that mere chord isn't holding you, the fastest thing alive, back?" His taunting words stun Sonic.

Sonic sat up and crossed his arms, giving Eggman a scowl. "I can't…" he mumbled quietly.

"Oooh, you can't?" Eggman sneered. He hovered closer to his arch nemesis. "And why not?" Sonic shook his head in reply. "Did you know, Sonic, that I've been following you on your little 'joy runs' for quite some time now? In fact, I've collected so much data on you that I know the exact amount of footsteps you take that corresponds with which path you run! And since you're stupid enough to run the same paths over and over- hah! -I was finally able to stop you in your tracks."

While Eggman was ranting, Sonic helplessly struggled to stand. His already mud-stained glove gripped the ground once more, and he slid his uninjured leg under his body to catch his weight. Shakily he stood, tempted to use his other foot to regain balance, but it already throbbed with unbearable amounts of pain, he didn't want to risk making it worse. He gently rested the toe of his red and white sneaker on the ground instead in an attempt to not harm himself more. Eggman didn't seem to notice what his clever wire trap had done to his target.

"I can't believe I finally caught you. And in my most simple trap to boot!"

"Yeah, Egghead. You caught me," the blue hedgehog shrugged. He glanced at the transmitter, and even though Tails stayed silent, he knew his buddy was already tracking him down to come save him.

But Eggman followed Sonic's eyes. He flicked a switch on the control panel, and a small laser shot a beam that fried Sonic's only way of communication.

"H-Hey!" He yelled in surprise. Eggman wagged his finger.

"No no no no no, Sonic. You're not getting away this time. Now that I finally have you, I'm going to destroy you, once and for all!" Two metal doors on the bottom of the Egg Mobile flung open, and a large gun crudely labeled the "death ray" took it's position and set its target on the hero.

Fearful for his life for the first time in a long time, Sonic began to stutter. "Now wait a minute, Eggman! Wouldn't you rather just hold me captive for a while or something?"

The evil genius's giant mustache wiggled as he thought. "Hmm, if I hold you captive, it'll just give you another chance to foil my plans and escape again…" The laser began to charge up; red rings formed around the now glowing tip, ready to fire at any moment. Sonic's heart began pounding. The whole situation still had a dream-like effect to it, and he couldn't believe he actually couldn't get away. After several moments of deep thought, Eggman retracted the death ray and replaced it with a claw that swiftly and roughly picked up his new prize. The cable slid off Sonic's foot as he was lifted into the air and carried off.

"Why, what a wonderful idea, Sonic! With you as my servant, I will soon have all the chaos emeralds in my grasp and I can take over the world!" The blue blur ignored his excessive banter for the duration of the trip.

**Author's Note: I don't think I've successfully written Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction before until this. The plot came to me in a dream I believe, and I have mixed thoughts on continuing it. If the story gets enough traffic, I'll begin planning a Chapter 2. ;) Thanks for reading! Follow me for more stories to come.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note****: Oh my goodness! I received a lot of feedback for the first chapter; most of it within just a few hours after posting! I'm beginning to get lots of ideas for this story, so I guess that means I'll be writing more. C: Follow this story to make sure you receive notice on all new chapters!**

_"Yeah, Egghead. You caught me."_

The faint fuzz that played from the speakers abruptly ended. A red message box appeared on the screen. "ERROR: TRANSMISSION LOST." Large cyan orbs peered at the message dejectedly.

"Sonic?" The yellow fox called out. His stomach sank. "Oh no…" His right hand began furiously typing away. He knew if he were fast enough, he could trace down the coordinates of the transmission and get there before anything serious happened to his best friend. While one hand was now occupied, he reached for a knob with his left and switched the frequency on his homemade transmitter, then pushed the call button. After several rings, the recipient finally answered.

"What is it, Tails?" Knuckles's reply came harsher than usual. He was obviously not thrilled Tails had called him.

"Eggman's got Sonic!" Tails spewed. He couldn't contain the nervousness in his voice. "I'm tracking his suspected position right now. If you're close to his coordinates, could you go and-"

"Slow down, fox boy," Knuckles interrupted. "Yeah, I'll go check on him. Where is he in retrospect to myself?"

Tails, as quickly as his small fingers could go, tracked down Knuckles's position as well as Sonic's. "He's south of you, I think."

Knuckles patted his Master Emerald goodbye, then leaped from the top of the temple, letting his instinctual sense of direction guide him as he slowly glided over the trees. Once he had a clear landing, he dropped to the ground and began sprinting blindly. "You _think_ he's south?"

"Well," the little genius began, "his transmission was cut short for some unexplainable reason. He was talking to Eggman, and he sounded really shaken up, so I think he's in some deep trouble this time."

"I'm running without direction here, Tails. Where am I going?"

Tails tapped enter once he finally had the command in place. "He's just a mile ahead of you, in the forest! I'm taking the Tornado there; it'll take me a few minutes!"

"So will running there. I'll see you then."

The transmission ended, Tails threw off his headphones and bolted into the hanger. He cut his prep time short and took off as soon as the engine was up to speed. Sonic never called for help. He loved to do everything on his own and hated showing weakness. It was clear he was in need. Tails had to prove himself to his older companion. He needed to show he could always be on stand-by for Sonic.

Once Tails was in position, he flicked the autopilot override on, set the plane's GPS for home, then hopped over the side of the Tornado, using the flight-ability of his two tails to slow his descent on the exact area Sonic was in. Since the area was thickly covered with trees, the fox had no choice but to land in one of the tree-tops and slide down the trunk.

"Sonic!" His small voice pierced through the eerie silence as his shoes touched the forest floor. The birds that had returned to the branches cawed in annoyance and flew off. He was alone. No animals, no Eggman, and no blue hedgehog.

A lump formed in Tails's throat. He felt like he had failed. He wasn't fast enough. The one time his friend needed him, he couldn't come to his rescue. Tears found their way out of his watery eyes and made their own route down his cheeks. Shamelessly, he stood sniffling, weeping, and whimpering until Knuckles arrived. His friend gave him a reassuring nudge when he saw the fox's condition.

"He was here…" Tails choked. Knuckles glanced around.

"Then we can't be too far off, can we?" The echidna replied. "Do not give up hope, Tails. Sonic would want you to be stronger than this."

Tails glanced at Knuckles and studied the seriousness in his eyes. He replaced his sadness with determination. "You're right," he agreed. "I have to be strong."

"Lets look around for a sign that he was here."

_Thud!_ Tails found the first one. As he took a step, he felt resistance on his foot, and flopped to the ground, tripping over the same cable his counterpart had just moments ago. Knuckles stifled a laugh.

"He _was_ here!" Tails exclaimed, pushing himself up from the dirt. He pointed to small disruptions in the mud. They looked like prints, or skid marks, outlining just where Sonic fell. "He tripped over this chord too!"

A few steps away, Knuckles made a discovery also. "Look, fox boy, your invention." He held up a charred transmitter identical to the one he and Tails were both wearing.

"So, Sonic was running along," Tails explained, "tripped over this wire and must've hurt himself. Then Dr. Eggman flew in, destroyed my transmitter, and carried him off...that way." He pointed. Tails smiled at his accomplishment.

Knuckles smirked. "Then lets get a move on, shall we? I'm sure we'll be able to pick out Eggman's hideout once we're close enough." Tails nodded.

"We're comin', Sonic!"


End file.
